Worcester Sharks finding success on road

Monday

Dec 10, 2012 at 6:00 AM

Four busloads of Sharks fans made the jaunt up here yesterday to watch their favorite team play, and it was a smart move. The Sharks have become one of those American Hockey League teams that play better on the road than at home.

By Bill Ballou TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Four busloads of Sharks fans made the jaunt up here yesterday to watch their favorite team play, and it was a smart move.

The Sharks have become one of those American Hockey League teams that play better on the road than at home.

That’s not a great marketing move, but since Worcester’s schedule these days is overloaded with road games, it works fine from a competitive angle.

Case in point: The Sharks’ 3-2 victory over the Monarchs here yesterday made them 7-1 in their last eight road games and allowed them to re-acquire sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division.

Once again, it was a come-from-behind triumph. Worcester trailed heading into the third period, 2-1, then got goals from Tim Kennedy and Brodie Reid.

“That says something about the team we have,” coach Roy Sommer said. “We’ve got to lead the league in winning games when we’re behind going into the third period. We just never stopped coming at ’em.”

Indeed, the Sharks have won 12 games and in five of those they were behind after two.

For 40 minutes, though, it looked like Monarchs’ goalie Peter Mannino was going to steal one for his team. Worcester had a 34-13 advantage in shots on goal, but trailed, 2-1. Thomas Hickey got a 5-on-3 goal at 5:24 of the first period and Dwight King scored at 19:10 of the second.

In between, John McCarthy got his third of the season at 15:47 of the second period.

It was still 2-1 when Manchester’s Tanner Pearson got free for a down-the-slot breakaway at 5:50. Harri Sateri forced Pearson to wait until he was in too deep to make a move, then stopped his short wrist shot.

Kennedy scored at 8:28, Reid at 11:56.

“He didn’t have to make that many saves,” said Sommer of Sateri, who has won his last four starts, “but when we needed a big one, he was there.”

On both of the Sharks’ first two goals, Kennedy made amazing plays. On McCarthy’s goal, his moves froze Mannino and the entire Monarchs defense, then he slipped a pass to his linemate for an open-netter. On his own goal, Kennedy stickhandled around Mannino and slid the puck barely over the goal line, somehow finding room between the goalie and the post.

McCarthy was actually behind Mannino when he got the puck.

“I had the entire net,” the captain said, adding, “I thought he’d pass it to me, just by the little look he gave me.”

Reid’s game-winner was a bullet over Mannino’s glove fired from the top of the right circle as the winger was sprung loose by a pass from James Sheppard.

“The play worked perfectly,” Reid said, “just like we’d been doing it in practice. I saw a little bit there, but that’s just my shot. Actually, I really didn’t see it; in the moment, when you get a breakaway, you get so excited you don’t do much thinking.”

After missing the season’s first 14 games with a separated shoulder, Reid has become one of Worcester’s most dangerous offensive players. He was 1-1-2 yesterday and the No. 1 star. He has nine points in nine games and has at least one in seven of those nine.

“We were hoping it was just a matter of time before we got to them,” Sommer said. “We just kept plugging away — working hard, finishing our checks, keeping up the pressure — just like we have all year long.

“It was the third game in three for (Manchester), and I don’t care what anyone says, your legs aren’t there. You could see that in the third period. They just ran out of juice.”